64.9%
Volkswagen Jetta
Volkswagen Jetta MOT pass rate and common problems
The Volkswagen Jetta passed 64.9% of its initial MOT tests in 2025, 7.4 percentage points below the 72.3% UK average. The item testers recorded most often was coil spring fractured or broken.
Checking a specific car? Its own results, advisories and recorded mileages are in a free MOT history check.
How the Jetta compares
Initial MOT tests in 2025, retests excluded. A car that failed and was repaired at the test station counts as a fail.
73.1%
Volkswagen average
72.3%
UK average, all cars
The Jetta runs 8.2 points behind the Volkswagen average. It is 25th of the 31 Volkswagen models in the data. The average Jetta arrived at its test 14.5 years old with 113,596 miles recorded.
A pass rate records whether cars met the roadworthiness standard on test day. It is not a reliability score, and part of any gap reflects how old the tested cars were.
Jetta MOT pass rate by age
The same 2025 tests split by the car's age at test.
Volkswagen Jetta cars aged 6 to 10 years passed 72.4% of MOT tests. For cars aged 11 years and over that fell to 62.5%, a drop of 9.8 percentage points.
| Age at test | Tests | Pass rate | vs UK average |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3 to 5 years (small sample) | 18 | 72.2% | In line |
| 6 to 10 years | 2,680 | 72.4% | In line |
| 11 years and over | 8,691 | 62.5% | 9.8 pts below |
That is a typical decline as cars age. The UK average of 72.3% covers cars of every age, so compare like with like.
Where Jetta failures cluster
Every failure item recorded on Volkswagen Jetta cars in 2025, grouped into the DVSA's test areas.
Suspension and lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment together account for 46.8% of recorded failure items. These are recorded failures across the model, not faults every car has.
The 10 most common Jetta MOT failures
Specific items recorded on Volkswagen Jetta cars that failed their 2025 MOT, as a share of all recorded failure items.
Together these 10 items make up 39.1% of everything testers recorded against failed Volkswagen Jetta cars. The rest is spread across many smaller items, and one failed test often records several at once.
What to look at on a Jetta
The recorded failures above, grouped by area, biggest first.
1
Suspension
Recorded most often: coil spring fractured or broken, pins and bushes pin or bush excessively worn and linkage ball joint dust cover ball joint dust cover no longer prevents the ingress of dirt. 16.7% of failure items.
2
Tyres
Recorded most often: tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm and condition has ply or cords exposed. 6.7% of failure items.
3
Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment
Recorded most often: headlamp aim projected beam image is obviously incorrect and position lamp not working. 5.9% of failure items.
4
Body, chassis, structure
Recorded most often: joints constant velocity boot split or insecure, no longer prevents the ingress of dirt. 4.1% of failure items.
The car's own MOT history matters more than any model average. A free MOT history check shows whether a specific Jetta has failed on these items before, or had them noted as advisories. Buying one? See the used Volkswagen Jetta buying guide.
Already found one?
Check its finance, write-off, theft, mileage and keeper history with a £15 vehicle history report.
Volkswagen Jetta MOT FAQs
What is the Volkswagen Jetta MOT pass rate?
64.9% of Volkswagen Jetta cars passed their initial MOT first time in 2025, from 11,393 tests. That is 7.4 percentage points below the 72.3% average for all cars, and ranks 434th of 575 models.
What does a Volkswagen Jetta most commonly fail its MOT on?
The item testers recorded most often on Volkswagen Jetta cars failing their 2025 MOT was coil spring fractured or broken, on 7.6% of failure items. Next were pins and bushes pin or bush excessively worn (5.7%) and joints constant velocity boot split or insecure, no longer prevents the ingress of dirt (4.1%).
Which area causes the most Volkswagen Jetta MOT failures?
Across every recorded failure item, the largest area was suspension at 28.6%, followed by lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment at 18.2%.
Do older Volkswagen Jetta cars fail their MOT more often?
Volkswagen Jetta cars aged 6 to 10 years passed 72.4% of MOT tests in 2025, against 62.5% for cars aged 11 years and over.
Does this mean every Volkswagen Jetta has these problems?
No. These are the items testers recorded across every Volkswagen Jetta that failed in 2025. They show where the model most often needs attention, not the condition of any individual car.
How do I see a specific Volkswagen Jetta's MOT history?
Enter its registration on the free Carpeep MOT history check to see that car's own test results, failures, advisories and recorded mileages.
MOT figures are aggregated from the DVSA MOT Anonymised data set for 2025: class 4 initial tests, retests excluded, with failure items from failed tests (advisories and minor defects excluded), licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. MOT results describe roadworthiness at test, not mechanical reliability.